Today is a day of grace and gratitude—not only for Paulus and Ads, who are professing their vows, but for all of us who are gathered here to witness this quiet, humble act of surrender.
You, Paulus and Ads, have walked a journey these past two years in the novitiate in silence and prayer, in discernment and growth, in questions and in graces. And now, the Lord has brought you to this day. Not because you are finished, but because you are ready to begin anew—this time with a public, humble, and personal ‘yes’.
The Church gives us the feast of St Peter Favre to accompany you today, and it’s quite fitting. Peter Favre wasn’t loud. He didn’t seek attention. He didn’t perform great signs like others. But his holiness ran deep, as attested by his companion and father, Ignatius of Loyola. He was a man of the heart—sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit, gentle with souls, attentive to inner movements of God. He would listen long before speaking, accompany without rushing, and serve without counting the cost.
He reminds us that the most powerful discipleship is often quiet, patient, and faithful. So unlike you two years ago, Ads and Paulus, when you were so full of loud desires and passion and drama, all out ready to charge for God and for the mission, thinking in your young hearts you can do anything and conquer the world for the greater glory of God.
Since you had the vigor of youth, you trudged on like bulls ready for a fight, trusting on your own strength and power.
But now, two years older and wiser in spirit and in heart, you know better. Now you understand in many ways how you are called into that same spirit of St Peter Favre. That more than being called to be perfect, you are called to trust and to be faithful. You are not expected to carry everything on your shoulders. You are invited to let Christ carry you.
As you know, the vows you make today—poverty, chastity, obedience—are primarily ways of loving. They are choices to live your life in the freedom of Christ. And yes, they are challenging. There will be days when the poverty feels real—when you will feel your limits, your weakness, or your needs. There will be moments when chastity is not just a peaceful offering, but a deep longing held in trust. There will be seasons when obedience stretches you beyond your own plans and asks for surrender. But in each of these, there is hidden joy. Because each vow is not a burden you are asked to carry alone. It is a grace you receive. It is not a test of your strength. It is a gift from Christ—freely given, and meant to be freely lived.
We sometimes think that religious life is a heroic choice. In a way, yes, it does require courage. But it is not about making yourself worthy. It is about allowing yourself to be loved and led by Christ. The deepest freedom is not doing whatever we want—it is saying ‘yes’ to what God wants in us.
And that ‘yes’ is not only for today; it is meant for forever. Like a seed, it will need to sprout and grow in struggles and in pain, but also in joy and celebration, before it bears fruit. Quietly, slowly, sometimes in ways you expect, sometimes in ways that surprise you—but always with grace. It is the Lord who will make it grow. Stay close to Him. He will be your strength, as He has always been until today. Your living of the vows will only find its fullness of meaning and joy in the Lord, in your love for Jesus who loved you first.
To those of us gathered here—family, friends, fellow religious—this celebration is also for us. It calls us to renew our own ‘yes’es. Surely not all of us will profess vows like Paulus and Ads, but we too are called to trust the Lord’s grace in our own commitments—in marriage, in priesthood and in religious life, in lay service, all in daily faithfulness.
Let us give thanks today—not only for the commitment Paulus and Ads are making—but for the quiet work of God that made this day possible, manifested in all the graces they have received in life, and through all the people who walked with them, prayed with them, forgave them, believed in them. And let us pray for them as they continue walking with Peter Favre’s spirit—gently, humbly, sincerely—allowing Christ to lead them deeper into His heart.
Finally, Ads and Paulus, the road of discipleship is not easy, as our Gospel reminds us, and neither is the road of vowed life. But you have been proven and tested. It is time. What you have received in the quiet, in the silence of the novitiate, in the depths of your prayer—what was whispered to you in the darkness, speak now in the light. What you heard in the secret of your heart, proclaim with your life. The vows are not for your own holiness alone, but for mission—for being sent, like Favre, into the world, often gently, sometimes silently, but always as light in the dark.
So, Paulus, Ads—may your vows never silence your voice, but instead make it clearer and truer. May your obedience never take away your freedom, but root it more deeply in God’s will. May your poverty never feel like lacking something, but open your hands to receive grace upon grace. And may your chastity make space in your heart for the vastness of Christ’s love for His people.
As you live these vows, may you always be men of hope. As Fr Bros mentioned in his homily last Sunday at our celebration of the feast of St Ignatius, so many people, especially the young, are tired, anxious, or quietly searching for something more. In this Year of Hope, the Church invites us not only to hold on to hope—but to become bearers of hope for others.
Your ‘yes’ today is already a sign of that. Because to profess the vows—to entrust your whole life to God—is to say to the world: there is something worth giving your life for. There is love that does not fade. There is joy deeper than comfort. There is meaning beyond success. That is hope. And the world needs to see that again.
Let your lives speak that message—not just through your words, but through your presence. Be men who listen deeply, accompany gently, pray humbly. Be signs that God is still calling, still loving, still walking with His people. And never forget: the hope you give will come from the hope you yourself receive, every day, from the One who called you.
And may you never forget that the one who calls is faithful. The one who invites is the one who sustains. And the one who begins this good work in you, Paulus and Ads, will bring it to fulfillment—in His time, and always in love.
Preached on 2 Aug in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, Q.C.